An anonymous donor funded the cremation of Thomas Crooks, the individual who attempted to assassinate President Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. This detail emerged from federal records reviewed by The Post and was shared with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley as part of his inquiry into the security failures surrounding the assassination attempt.
The note specifying the anonymous donation appears at the end of a summary detailing an interview with Crooks' father, Matthew. The documents also suggest the Crooks family may have lacked the financial means to cover the cremation costs, as Matthew was unemployed at the time of the incident, and his wife was on leave from work.
Representative Clay Higgins had previously revealed that Crooks' body was released for cremation less than two weeks after the shooting, expressing his dismay. "My effort to examine Crooks’ body on Monday, August 5 [2024], caused quite a stir and revealed a disturbing fact… the FBI released the body for cremation 10 days after (July 13)," Higgins stated in a letter to the congressional task force investigating the security lapses.
Crooks died from a Secret Service sniper's shot moments after he opened fire at the rally, injuring one rally attendee and grazing President Trump's ear. The FBI has not publicly commented on the specifics of the funeral arrangements or the source of the funding. Attempts to reach Matthew Crooks for comment were unsuccessful.